Get your health question answered instantly from our pool of 18000+ doctors from over 80 specialties
129 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM BlogQuestions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction

What Does Severe Itching On The Upper Arms Indicate?

My son is 42 years old and for the last several months, he has had severe itching on his upper arms to the point he is unable to sleep without ice on his arms. And even then he has a hard time sleeping because of the itching and pain. He went to a dermatologist and she diagnosed as a problem with the nerves. He went to a neurologist and was told it wasn t nerves. He is now taking five sleeping pills( prescribed by the neurologist) and in addition six over-the-counter sleeping pills and still only gets 1 to 2 hours sleep a night. He did some research online and came up with hypersensitivity to heat which seems to be untreatable. He is still able to work (he is a teacher) but is exhausted and in severe pain all the time. Do you know of any doctors that have been involved with this disease whom his doctor could contact for help with this? Thank you. Shirley Klug
posted on Mon, 12 Mar 2018
Twitter Fri, 29 Jun 2018 Answered on
Twitter Mon, 2 Jul 2018 Last reviewed on
Report Abuse
General & Family Physician,  's  Response
Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice.

You need to visit a dermatologist first if need be he will refer you to a neurologist. It looks like your son is not yet diagnosed. However, give him oral histamines & corticosteroids for relieve. The itch syndrome that he has looks like Brachioradial pruritis, neurogenic in origin it generally affects the upper extremities. If you neglect it will spread to the shoulders. Damage to the nerves are causing pain & itch. Nerve problems take time to get well, bear with him. Get him all investigations done like X-Ray. Some anticonvulsants(Carbamazepine) & gabapentine will be of help. All these medications will be prescibed by the treating Neurologist, please visit a Neurologist at the earliest.

Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
I find this answer helpful
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer. For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service [Sample answer]
Share on
 

Related questions you may be interested in


Loading Online Doctors....
What Does Severe Itching On The Upper Arms Indicate?

Hello and Welcome to ‘Ask A Doctor’ service. I have reviewed your query and here is my advice. You need to visit a dermatologist first if need be he will refer you to a neurologist. It looks like your son is not yet diagnosed. However, give him oral histamines & corticosteroids for relieve. The itch syndrome that he has looks like Brachioradial pruritis, neurogenic in origin it generally affects the upper extremities. If you neglect it will spread to the shoulders. Damage to the nerves are causing pain & itch. Nerve problems take time to get well, bear with him. Get him all investigations done like X-Ray. Some anticonvulsants(Carbamazepine) & gabapentine will be of help. All these medications will be prescibed by the treating Neurologist, please visit a Neurologist at the earliest. Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.